Amid reports that Governor of Reserve Bank Urjit Patel is keen to meet Mamata Banerjee when he comes to Kolkata, the Trinamool Congress has announced a series of protest programmes against demonetisation beginning Wednesday.
The Bengal ruling party’s decision comes close on the heels of requests made by RBI Governor’s office seeking an appointment with the Chief Minister, Trinamool sources said. The RBI chief is likely to visit Kolkata on Thursday.
Ahead of Patel’s visit the Chief Minister upped the ante against BJP leadership saying “the most corrupt people are talking about fighting corruption.” Describing demonetisation as a step to destroy India Banerjee said, “the main motive behind demonetisation is to destroy the Indian economy.”
By doing so the BJP Government would destroy the world’s largest democracy, she said, adding her party would continue to fight against the “anti-people and anti-poor step which has already rendered large number of people jobless as the total economic activity in villages and towns have stopped.”
The Trinamool will launch a Statewide movement from Wednesday senior party leader and Minster Partho Chatterjee said wondering how the Centre proposed to go for a cashless economy when there was no proper infrastructure in villages.
“Many villages not even have ATMs in place let alone swiping machines. How will this Government introduce cashless economy in villages” he said adding the party will reach out to the people educating them about “the bane called demonetisation.” There would be processions and rallies in every block and district he said.
Taking the attack a step further senior party leader and Panchayat Minister Subroto Mukherjee said “the Government is talking of sending the 100-days-work wages to the workers’ accounts but it is unaware of the fact that there is no bank in about 30 percent of villages.” He also pooh-pooed the cashless scheme saying “those who talk of cashless economy should have been aware of the fact that 75 percent of the people depend upon cash for their economic transactions. The BJP leaders do not seem to walk on the ground. They live far above the ground and try to see the villages through their elitist prisms only.”
Meanwhile, there was no word yet from Bengal CM’s office as to whether the meeting will take place between her and Patel when he comes to Kolkata.
“It is unusual for such meetings taking place but the Chief Ministers do not let go of such chances in order to place their State’s problems before the RBI Governor,” a senior State official said reminding how Buddhadeb Bhattacharya had met then Governor Subba Rao in 2011.
Rao had also met Banerjee in 2012, he said, adding however that there had no meeting taken place between Patel’s predecessor Raghuram Rajan and Banerjee.
“let us hope for the best. If such meeting takes place then our Chief Minister can discuss the problems being faced by the people of her State and request him to send more `500 notes. Not doing so to be politically correct will only harm the people of the State,” a retired bureaucrat maintained.